recommendation: appreciate the mom’s out there

In celebration of today’s holiday, I’d like to honor two amazing mothers, my own, Carol, and my mother-in-law, Susan. These mom’s make such an impact on our lives and I couldn’t think of a better way to thank them than for Zach and I to declare our love for them to everyone I know (who reads my blog) by sharing some of our favorite things about them!


recipes growing up
Carol: Chicken Devon and Chicken Rice Casserole

Susan: Hamburger Pie (tastier than it sounds)
(all of the above are recommended and recipes will be coming soon!)

memory as a kid
Carol: Playing outside at Wembley Court and getting hurt and mom putting iodine on my boo-boo’s and drawing a smiley face too

Susan: Zachary outside playing with friends on Carver Street and hearing mom ringing a triangle dinner bell

things we do together
Carol:
- Singing in the car together: road trip back from Madison - beatles cd; me singing in the car using the old school car phone as a microphone and always trying to find a good song on the radio before I got out for school so that I would have a good day; headed back from dropping sister at Algonquin, we sang with our windows down in a traffic jam; coming back from 8th grade boat trip and being obsessed with ‘when I dip you dip we dip’ and my mom learning to do the butterfly with me; mom and I went to see keith urban and rocked out singing each song to each other
- picking lily of the valleys in our back yard

Susan:
- in warmer weather, getting front porch ready pulling out all of the furniture and setting it up so it is a place of relaxation and serenity – sitting together watching the neighbors go by, talking or reading and just enjoying each others’ company
- building a fire in the living room in the winter
- making popcorn in cast iron skillet and sitting down as a family on Friday nights to catch TGIF shows

funny mommys
Carol: Kahlua and Creams and Scattegories!

Susan: Ritual 10pm goofball attack

music they like that we like too
Carol: Keith Urban, Beatles

Susan: Rod Stewart (!!!), Beatles

collections I’m envious of
Carol: pottery collection – McCoy Vases and Christmas Dishes

Susan: her santa collection - zach would freak if I told him this as I have enough collections around the house and enough Christmas decorations but I just love Susan’s fireplace mantel, lined with every kind of santa you can imagine while a fire is going

traditions
Carol: buying the treats we gave up for lent to indulge in at midnight before easter day

Susan: the advent calendar growing up that she passed on to nate and made for zach so that we can continue the tradition

thankful for
Carol: always taking care of every last detail. She seriously thinks of EVERYTHING. She’s always prepared, on time, with a smile on her face. We always feel very taken care of and she is so very thoughtful. Good to those around her and committed to making people happy, which she is very successful in doing!

Susan: her attention to family – completely dedicated and devoted to each person in the family and to remembering those in our lives. She keeps everyone in touch and updated with each others lives so that we don’t lose touch with each other in these busy times. We know many stories of our relatives and predecessors because of her – you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been!

Zach and I are so happy to have these moms in our lives and want to thank them for loving us like they do.

Also want to give a shout out to some other awesome mother’s – AJ, Grandma Dorothy, Grandma Marie and Grandma Lois (rest in peace), our Aunts and Cousins, and all my girlfriends – you all give your kids a lot to love you for, thank you for being you!